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Chainmail
/ | special = | item_defense = | item_resist = | item_movement = +1 +2 | item_enchantments = | artifact_defense = | artifact_resist = | artifact_movement = +1 +2 +3 +4 | artifact_enchantments = }} Chainmail (or "Chain Mail") is a type of Magical Item which can be equipped on any Hero possessing an appropriate slot. The bonuses on the Chainmail piece will enhance that Hero's performance, particularly his/her defensive properties and movement speed. As with any Magical Item, Chainmail can have a total mix of up to 4 different bonuses and/or Item Powers. Chainmail differs from other armor pieces thanks to a default bonus which is automatically given upon wearing the item. It is thus a cheap but useful armor for Melee Attackers. As with any other items, Chainmail can receive Item Powers that alter the Hero's properties - particularly giving additional immunities and/or better survivability. Description Chainmail armor was one of the most common types of armor throughout the middle ages, though it predates them by quite a bit. It is constructed by painstakingly connecting tiny little rings of metal, finally forming a flexible sheet. Initially, Chainmail was expensive and prized, but improved construction techniques allowed it to become the staple armor for front-line infantry, and was often worn underneath other armor or even clothing. Containing much less metal than Platemail, Chainmail is significantly lighter and allows better mobility - but is still very hard to get through even with piercing weaponry. The Basic Item Chainmail is one of many possible Magical Item types in Master of Magic. Magical Items can be Crafted by a wizard (tailored to the specific needs of a Hero under the wizard's employ), or found as rewards for defeating a suitably-dangerous Encounter (in which case the item already has a set of pre-defined bonuses). Any Chainmail piece can be equipped on a Hero, if said Hero possesses this slot: : Armor Slot Most Heroes possess this slot - only specialized mages do not have it (they get an additional "Jewelry" slot instead). As long as a Chainmail piece - any Chainmail - is equipped on a Hero, that Hero receives a Defense bonus of by default, regardless of what other bonuses (including extra Defense bonuses) are imbued into it. While it is only a small bonus, it applies against all direct-damage attacks, and may be quite useful against low-tier opponents. It essentially allows the Hero to make an extra roll, potentially blocking another from the attack. Crafting Chainmail It is possible to create a new Chainmail piece (like any other Magical Item) using the Item Crafting process. This is initiated by casting either the Enchant Item spell or the Create Artifact spell, though there are differences in the potential strength of the new Chainmail depending on which spell is chosen. During Item Crafting it is possible to select a Chainmail as the type of Magical Item being created (the button is labeled "Chain"). This sets the default cost of casting the item-crafting spell to . Once Chainmail is selected, the Item Crafting menu will show all bonuses and Item Powers that can be imbued into it. Click the desired options to add them to the weapon, or click a selected option to remove it. Regardless of which item-crafting spell was selected, Chainmail can only take up to 4 different bonuses and/or Item Powers - just like any other item in the game. Each additional bonus will increases the value of the item by a set amount. The more powerful the bonus or enchantment, the more it raises the item's value (see list below). An item with higher value costs more to create, and thus may take more than one turn to complete. When Crafting, Chainmail has some advantages and some disadvantages over other types of armor - the Shield and Platemail. Chainmail gives a smaller bonus than Shields, but it applies against all types of attacks, whereas Shields do nothing against Melee Attacks. Chainmail is also weaker than Platemail, but is also significantly cheaper to create. Thus, Chainmail is a cheap, early-game armor for Melee Attackers, protecting them to some degree during Melee combat. During the later game, when ample is available, it is often considered redundant and may be replaced with the stronger Platemail. Units that do not expect to see much Melee Combat will likely be better off with a Shield during the early portion of the game. Enchant Item The Enchant Item spell limits the strength of the bonuses that can be imbued into Chainmail, and also the types of Item Powers that can be added to it. Available Bonuses Available Item Powers Create Artifact The Create Artifact spell allows Chainmail to be imbued with much more powerful bonuses and/or Item Powers. Certain limitations still apply, based mainly on the type and number of Spellbooks you possess, and the amount of you wish to spend on creating the item. The Create Artifact spell is not inherently more expensive than Enchant Item, it only allows purchasing more expensive bonuses and Item Powers. It is possible to create the same (low-value) Chainmail with both spells at no extra cost. Thus, if Create Artifact is available, there is no reason to use Enchant Item at all. Available Bonuses Available Item Powers Acquiring Pre-Defined Chainmail The game data files contain 250 items that were designed by Simtex - each with its own pre-set name, bonuses and/or Item Powers. 21 of these items are Chainmail pieces. There are three different ways by which you can acquire one of these pre-defined Chainmails: * By winning a difficult Encounter. * By purchasing it from a traveling Item Merchant. * As result of a random Event called "The Gift". It is often better to acquire items in this way, as it means you do not need to spend any time or to create them. However, since the offered item is chosen at random, and since all 250 items have pre-defined bonuses and enchantments, you may or may not receive an item that's really suitable to your needs. Furthermore, many of the pre-defined items possess Item Powers that cannot legally be added to them via Item Crafting. Chainmail as Treasure Whenever an Encounter zone of sufficient difficulty level is cleared of its initial defenders, the winning army may receive a Chainmail piece (or any other Magical Item) as a reward. The game may select (at random) any item whose total value does not exceed the remaining treasure points given by the Encounter. Thus, the more difficult the Encounter, the more potential there is to receive a high-value item. If the selected item's value is significantly lower than the remaining treasure points, the game will try to select additional rewards (possibly more items). Chainmail from Item Merchants Item Merchants have a certain chance to appear at the start of any overland turn. This chance is primarily influenced by the wizard's current score. When the roll dictates that a Merchant should appear, the game selects an item at random from the entire list of all 250 pre-set items. Item Merchants will only offer the selected item if the wizard has 3 times as much as the value of the item itself. Charismatic wizards need only 1.5 times as much as the item's value, since they pay half-price for any item. If you lack sufficient Gold at the start of the turn, the Item Merchant will simply not appear this turn. Chainmail as Gifts Finally, an Event called "The Gift" may occur at random at the start of any overland turn, bestowing a Chainmail piece (or any other Magical Item) to your wizard, for no cost whatsoever. This event can choose any of the 250 pre-defined items, including any of the 21 available Chainmail pieces. List of Pre-Defined Chainmail Below is a list of each Chainmail armor present in the default game-data files. The ItemMake program which is supplied with the game allows users to alter the list of pre-set items at will: you can change any of these items (within the same constraints as those of a Create Artifact spell), add new ones, or remove existing ones from the list. Therefore the list below may or may not match your game-files. Category:Magical Items Category:Chainmail